Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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posts/2014/07
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Carne Asada and Corn -- back to top
We're still in our hotel because of the flood but they had a grill so we grilled something easy. We bought pre-marinated carne asada (from Trader Joes) and grilled corn. The steak was not amazing. It was a bit fatty, inconsistently sized and overcooked (the latter was from us). It was hard to figure how much to cook it on that grill. Kind of boring but it was nice to "cook" again
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7914, 2014-07-07_091005
White Beans on Eggplant -- back to top
We made white bean eggplants like we did before. Our original plan was to grill the eggplant but the rain made it difficult. We broiled it instead. I sprayed them with coconut-oil pam (all I had) and salted them. I broiled them well but maybe too well since they were mushy.
We made the white bean stuff kind of like before. We marinated two cans of washed white beans with balsamic vinegar. We added some colorful tomatoes and fresh basil that Meredith grew in her garden.
Like I said, they were pretty good but very messy since the eggplant basically dissolved with the beans on top.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7918, 2014-07-08_211511
BLT Corn and Black Bean Lettuce Wraps -- back to top
Meredith and I made BLT Corn Salad from the Joy The Baker recipe (also below). We didn't exactly follow the recipe but used it as a guide. We made more (4 stalks of corn, more avocado, more bacon). We actually went nearly 4x on the bacon BUT, we used Center-Cut bacon which is much lower calorie and fat (75x4=300 calories for all of the bacon). We did the corn in the broiler instead of on the stove. We also baked the bacon (without a drip tray but then we drained it and let it dry).
Other changes include a can of black beans, garlic scapes (stems of the garlic), and a single (very) hot pepper from Meredith's garden. We also used mini-lettuces to make lettuce cups instead of lettuce wraps.
Overall, we very much liked the meal. It was easy though not really fast given that we had to roast the corn and bake the bacon. It also made a lot of food giving us two nice-sized lunch portions as well.
Photos:
(INSERT LATER)
(from Joy The Baker)local copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7923, 2014-07-15_090636
Bulgogi with Pickled Red Onions and Zucchini Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce -- back to top
Meredith and I made Bulgogi with pickled red onions and zucchini noodles with thai peanut sauce.
The bulgogi and the onions were from the prior recipe(2013-11-18). We use about 1.4 lbs of skirt steak instead of the 1 lbs of flank since it was a lot cheaper and looked good. I trimmed the fat (leaving about 1.25 lbs). We 1.5x the recipe to have extra sauce to really coat. We let it marinate overnight. To cook it, we broiled it for about 3 minutes, attempted to flip the pieces and then did another 4-5 minutes. It was nicely cooked. Not too chewy and not overdone.
Despite noting last time that the red onions were too salty, this time we used the same amount of salt but actually used the exact one she recommends. The onions, which pickled overnight, were really good. Lots of flavor and a little kick.
Finally, we again madezucchini noodles with a thai peanut sauce. In addition to the noodles, we added some sliced cucumbers. We also topped them with some chopped peanuts, some garlic scapes, scallions, and cilantro. They were very good!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7927, 2014-07-15_203529
Green Mango Som Tam (Thai Salad) with Shrimp -- back to top
Meredith and I made a Thai Green Mango salad. It was based on the recipe for Som Tam Thai on page 38 of Pok Pok by Andy Ricker.
Som Tam is, by definition, green papaya but we wanted to use green mango instead. We bought green mango over the weekend, but by the time we went to make this, our green mango turned into ripe mango. So, we had to, at the last minute, run out of buy new green mangos. We bought 4 large ones and have a HUGE amount left which we froze.
We basically followed the recipe otherwise. We used a drink muddler to bruise everything. And we added shrimp.
The meal was very good. Green mango has a bit of a strange texture but it was fine. There was a lot of flavor. And it was a pretty light meal in general.
Recipe from Pok Pok page 38. Local copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7931, 2014-07-16_213538
We made lobster pho. We had leftover lobster tail shells from a while ago that we froze. We made the rest roughly based on Emril's recipe though we also did a lot of different techniques. For example, we broiled and blackened some of the onions and the ginger. We sautéd the garlic separately and then added that. And we did some fennel seeds and anise instead of an anise pod or star anise. We also had a lot less lobster than he called for (and without out meat too). That may be why there wasn't really any lobster flavor, but, it did still have a pho-like flavor to it. We also poached shrimp right into it (though only 1/2 a lbs since we weren't doing lunch).
We served it with Meredith's home-grown thai-basil plus some garlic scapes and other accouterments. And we used fresh rice noodles (as opposed to the dry ones). We want to explore making pho some more. This was a good start.
This page was converted from Wordpress with a custom script by Justin Winokur. Most links and images should still work. However, if any links are broken, see the HTML (or Markdown) source to try to deduce the intended destination.
Original WP Post ID: 7936
Original WP Pub Date: 2014-07-17_213541
Avocado Crab Roll with Soy Sauce "Caviar" and Roasted Shishito Peppers -- back to top
This was quite the meal. We made soy sauce caviar with the recipe and technique below. Essentially, you combine soy sauce and agar agar. Then, once cooler,you drip it into cold oil. This causes the drips to form into small spheres which you can then strain out. Essentially, you end up with solid soy-sauce balls. Note that we halved her recipe (which was halved from its original source) and it still made a ton. Also, when looking at the recipe, do note that you do not consume any of the insane amount of oil. It is just part of the process.
The crab was also inspired by the below recipe but we really just winged it. We used about half a pound of claw meat. We added a good amount of chopped cilantro and chopped shiso. We wanted to use Japanese shiso but Meredith thinks this was the Korean kind. Oh well. We then added some salt, pepper, a_tiny_ bit of oil and some lemon juice. We followed her basic assembly
We also made shishito peppers. I used the same technique as last time except I left them out of the oven between the initial roast and broiling since I mis-estimated timing. I made up for it by broiling them a bit more. The peppers themselves were good but next time, I want to use a better, rockier salt.
I made the "aoili" by doctored_low-fat_ mayo. I used a few small scoops of Trader Joes Low-Fat Mayo. To that, I added 5 (!!!) finely chopped cloves of garlic and some garlic powder. I mixed that in with some salt, pepper and miso. Finally, I added and mixed a tiny bit of olive oil to thin it. This worked well. Lots of garlic flavors and not overly mayonnaise-like. Next time, I would sauté half the garlic to give it a mixed of cooked with the the fresh garlic.
Recipe moved toseparate protected page. Password is the name of my dog in all lower-case.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7948, 2014-07-22_200042
Broccoli Beef over Brown Rice -- back to top
I made broccoli beef but this time, for the first time, I used a wok. I am still learning the wok and how to use it best but this worked pretty well.
We used tri-tip beef. Some sources say it is prized for being lean but it was pretty marbled. And the nutritional information bares that out too (lean beef is about 1 points plus/lbs, this is about 1.5). Still, as I mention below, it was a really good choice.
First of all, we essentially doubled the recipe. I let the wok get really hot, added some oil, and did the beef (forgot both the garlic and the ginger). I probably had too much in there but I kept tossing with a metal spoon until it was pretty fully cooked. I then took it out of the pan and did the broccoli. Despite what the recipe calls for, I started with it raw and added water and tossed it to cook it. Once I thought it was cooked, I added back the beef and the rest of the sauce (which I forgot sriracha in).
I tossed everything and let the sauce cook down. The broccoli was a bit under cooked but I liked it more than the mush I usually get. And there was probably too much sauce for what we had. And I almost certainly crowded the pan.But it was also exceptionally good. I do not know if it was the oyster sauce (need to look up the brand) or the method or what but I was super flavorful. And the beef was really good too. While I didn't like that it was a bit fattier, it was really good.
We also served it with brown rice. I basically followed The Kitchn's method (also below) including a tiny bit of oil and soy sauce. I simmered it by setting the induction stove to 210°F. I checked on it in 25 minutes (10 early) and it was done. I am glad I checked then otherwise it may have overcooked. We used 1 cup dry and split to into four servings
Brown Rice (from The Kitchn)
Local Copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
The listings are not complete but contain the main things. Also, I think we had_less_ than 1.5 lbs of beef but I do not have the label so I don't know.
Item
x
Cal
Fat
Carbs
protein
fiber
per
Total
Brown Rice
1
685
5.00
143.00
15.00
6.00
17.70
17.70
Beef (Tri-Tip) 3oz
8
213
11.20
0.00
26.10
0.00
5.27
42.13
Total
2389.00
94.60
143.00
223.80
6.00
59.83
Per Serving
4
597.25
23.65
35.75
55.95
1.50
14.96
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8007, 2014-07-24_190013
English Muffin with Crab -- back to top
This was a fast breakfast. I fried an egg and heated some leftover crab with Old Bay and black pepper. We put it on an english muffin and topped it with half an avocado. It was fast and easy,
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8014, 2014-07-26_071513
Nectarine Salad with Basil and Mint -- back to top
This was just a really simple dish of sliced ripe nectarine, a few quartered cherry tomatoes with a garnish of basil and mint. Then I just drizzled a little blackberry balsamic vinegar over it and ate. Summer on a plate!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8018, 2014-07-27_071512
Beet Pickled Eggs -- back to top
I made beet pickled eggs based on my Dad's recipe below. I did the eggs in the already-steaming steamer as noted here for 11-12 minutes. A few of the eggs exploded or cracked while cooking. My guess is that these eggs were too fresh (purchased that day) so there wasn't an air pocket to compress. This is, of course, just my rough guess. Anyway, I cracked them by banging them around in the pot after steaming and cold-shocking them which worked pretty well to get the shells off
I made too many. I had 16 eggs plus a whole red onion plus two cans of beets. The eggs fit but the rest of the stuff pushed me over. Next time, fewer eggs and less onion. I ended up setting aside some of the liquid and pickling the remaining beets separately.
I gave them two days and tried one (pictured below). As you can see, the pickling did not really fully penetrate (yet?). I am not sure if more time will help but I'll let it sit and see. You can tell that the yolk is just barely cooked which is perfect. 11-12 minutes is good to not have the eggs overcook.
Overall, the results were ok. Again, more time may help but I do think that the recipe is severely lacking in salt. I will have to compare it to some other recipes and see about adding back some salt. Also note that while this calls for a lot of sugar, you are not actually consuming too much with each beet. I should count the extra but it must be very little
from my dad:
Bring all liquid (including beet juice) to a gentle simmer to dissolve the sugar. Add the eggsto the bottom of the container. Put the rest on top to weigh it down and add the liquid. Once cooled enough, put in the fridge
This page was converted from Wordpress with a custom script by Justin Winokur. Most links and images should still work. However, if any links are broken, see the HTML (or Markdown) source to try to deduce the intended destination.
Original WP Post ID: 8034
Original WP Pub Date: 2014-07-27_190206
Beef Koftas and Spicy Shoestring Jicama Fries -- back to top
We made beef koftas and shoe-string jicama fries.
The koftas were from our regular recipe. We did toast the coriander seeds but only had ground cumin so we tossed it onto the hot pan at the last second. Other than that, we stayed pretty true to the recipe. We used Meredith's mint and we used what the recipe called for though I would have liked a bit more. And for the onions, we used finely chopped red onions. The beef was 90/10 ground beef (5 points plus/4 oz) and we used exactly a pound for four meals.
The other thing was jicama fries. We followed the recipe below from Inspiralized though we went light on the cayenne since Meredith said it was too much last time. We also just used the seasonings as a guide. I added some garlic powder, omitted the onion powder, added some smoked paprika, etc. We cooked them as it said but ended up giving them another 5 minutes to really crisp. Tip for next time: quartering the peeled jicama made it much easier and efficient to spiralize.
The texture was interesting. They felt limp but the natural crisp of jicama gave them a crunch. And they were just really good all around. We will do this again.
Meredith also made tzatziki with cultured almond milk (aka almond yogurt). It beat the soy version hands down
I did not calculate the exact points. The beef was 5. There was probably another 1-2 or so of miscellaneous oil. And I am not sure about the fries.
Recipe moved to separate page. Password is the name of my dog in all lower-case.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8024, 2014-07-28_202027
Yam Tuna (Thai Tuna Salad) -- back to top
Meredith and I made Thai Tuna salad from the recipe on page 54 of Pok Pok.
We stayed pretty true to the recipe. We doubled it with the only changes being:
At first we were worried that it would be too fish-saucy from the smell, but with it all mixed in, it was actually perfectly good. The meal itself was delicious. Probably one of the better things I have ever made with canned tuna.
Recipe from PokPok. Local copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8038, 2014-07-29_213547
Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Zucchini Noodles -- back to top
I made shrimp fra diavolo with zucchini noodles. The idea was based on the
Lobster Tail Fra Diavolo With Zucchini Noodles except I used shrimp. I made the sauce in parallel with everything rather than one after the other. I sautéd the shallots in a tiny bit of oil for a minute. I then added lots of chopped garlic and a good amount of crushed red pepper and let sauté for a minute. I added the tomatoes (diced and not San Marzano) plus some salt, pepper, cayenne and TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute. I let the cook down.
I then spiralized 4zucchinis. I sautéd a pound of shrimp in a bit of oil and again added more crushed red pepper and finally added the zucchini to cook it a bit. I then combined it all.
Next time, I would just let the sauce do all of the cooking of the zucchini though this wasn't bad. I did over cook the shrimp but other than that, this wasn't bad. It was a lot of food and wasn't the best for lunch the next day but as a meal, it was fine. And really, pretty fast.
Lobster Tail Fra Diavolo with Zucchini Noodles (from Inspiralized)
Local copy password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8231, 2014-07-31_201522